1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a short message service (SMS) for a mobile communication terminal, and more particularly to a system and method for confirming the reception of a SMS message by a mobile communication terminal. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method that enables a calling party to determine whether a SMS message has been received by the mobile communication terminal of the called party.
2. Description of the Related Art:
Typically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, SMS provides for transmitting a message from a SMS service center 106 to a mobile communication terminal 100 via a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) and a base station (BTS) 102 in either a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) or Personal Communications Service (PCS) system. Furthermore, the SMS service provides for accumulating messages received from a fixed network via a processor of a mobile network, converting the accumulated messages into a digital message format, and then transmitting the digital-format messages to the mobile communication terminal 100. FIG. 2 further shows an example of the relationship between the SMS service center 106, an information provider 12, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 11, and the MSC 104, BTS 102 and mobile terminal 100. The SMS sending function is classified as a general message, a quick message, or an urgent message according to a data transfer rate. If there is an incoming call requiring a change to the SMS sending function including the data transfer rate, a controller 10 (shown in FIG. 3) for the mobile communication terminal 100 controls a display 80 to display different colors based on the type of the SMS sending function. FIG. 3 also illustrates further components of a mobile terminals, such as a controller 10, memory 20, duplexer 30, antenna ANT, receiver 40, transmitter 50, audio unit 60, speaker SP, microphone MIC, ringer, key entry unit 70, display 80 and voice mixer 90. Further details are shown and described in Korean Patent Publication No. 2001-0059496, the entire contents of which being incorporated herein by reference.
However, in the case where a called party is not within a call connection area, or the mobile communication terminal 100 of the called party is powered off, it is impossible to inform the called party of the transmission of SMS messages. In this case, a calling party is not aware of its failure to receive the SMS message. In other words, where there is no response to a SMS message requesting a called party to send an immediate response message, it is impossible for the calling party to determine whether the called party received the SMS message.